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Robert Michael Gates (born September 25, 1943) is a retired civil servant and university president who served as the 22nd United States Secretary of Defense from 2006 to 2011. Prior to this, Gates served for 26 years in the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, and under President George H. W. Bush as Director of Central Intelligence. Immediately after being recruited by the CIA, he also served as an officer in the United States Air Force. After leaving the CIA, Gates became president of Texas A&M University and was a member of several corporate boards. Gates also served as a member of the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan commission co-chaired by James A. Baker III and Lee Hamilton, that has studied the Iraq War. He was also the first pick to serve as ...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to retire on June 30, a senior Pentagon official told Fox News -- a revelation that comes ahead of President Obama's expected announcement Thursday that CIA Director Leon Pannetta is replacing him as part of a broader shakeup in the president's national security team.
The White House hopes to have Panetta confirmed before Gates steps down, the official said.
Obama also plans to announce Thursday that Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, will replace Panetta as CIA director, Lt. Gen. John Allen will replace Petraeus and diplomat Ryan ...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced on Wednesday that the Army is effectively halting “stop loss,” saying the practice was “breaking faith” with the troops. The Army Reserve will suspend the practice of ordering soldiers to stay in the military service beyond their obligation in August.The Army National Guard will follow suit in September, and the Army in January.Troops who were forced to stay beyond their obligation after October 2008 will receive an additional $500 monthly salary, Gates said.More than 13,000 soldiers are serving under the stop-loss program, up ...

Defense Secretary Robert Gates downplays US failure to capture al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden seven years after the 9/11 terror attacks.Gates fended off a question on how long it might really take to find Osama, recalling the FBI's 17-year hunt for convicted Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski as a reasonable guide. Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Gates dismissed criticisms casting doubt over the efficiency of the US-led invasion while bin Laden and his top aide Ayman al-Zawahri remain at large.
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Gates drew an analogy between bin Laden's hide-out and the mountain cabin in ...

Obama wants $400 billion in defense cuts by 2023WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama on Wednesday called for cutting defense spending by $400 billion over 10 years as part of a deficit reduction plan. Wading into difficult political terrain, Obama’s proposal calls for “deeper reductions in security spending,” according to a Wh...

NATO shortcomings ‘could jeopardise Libya mission’BRUSSELS (AFP) – US Defence Secretary Robert Gates warned on Friday that military shortcomings among NATO members could jeopardise the alliance’s air war in Libya. With half of the countries in the 28-member alliance not participating in the Libya campaign, Gates said it reflected a worrisome ...